By Enyichukwu Enemanna
The Democratic Republic of Congo and the M23 rebel group on Saturday signed a framework agreement for a peace deal, which seeks to bring to an end fighting in the eastern region of Congo in which thousands of people have been killed while hundreds of thousands more have been displaced since this year.
The agreement was signed by representatives from both parties at a ceremony which took place in the Qatari capital Doha.
This is one of the series of documents that have been signed in recent months as part of efforts, being supported by the United States and Qatar, to end the decades-long conflict in Congo.
U.S. and Qatari officials describe the framework as an important step to peace but one of the many that still lie ahead.
The top U.S. envoy to the region, Massad Boulos said the framework covered eight protocols, and that work still needed to be done to agree on how to implement six of them.
Boulos also acknowledged that implementing the first two protocols concerning the exchange of prisoners and the monitoring of a ceasefire, agreed in recent months, had been slow.
“Yes, they were a little bit slow in the first few weeks,” he told reporters after the signing. “Yes, people were expecting to see probably some immediate results on the ground, but this is a process… This is not a light switch that you just switch on and off.”
M23, in the latest of a string of actions supported by neighbouring Rwanda, seized Goma, eastern Congo’s largest city, in January and went on to make gains across North Kivu and South Kivu provinces.
Rwanda has repeatedly denied allegations that it has helped M23, which has seized more territory in Congo than it has ever previously held.
Qatar has hosted multiple rounds of direct talks between the Congo government and the rebels dating back to April, but they have dealt largely with preconditions and confidence-building measures.
The two sides agreed in July to a declaration of principles that left many key issues at the root of the conflict unresolved, and in October they reached a deal on the monitoring of an eventual ceasefire.
